In this riveting landmark autobiography, which reads like a novel, Academy Award and Emmy winner Louis Gossett, Jr., masterfully transports us to 1840s New York; Washington, D.C.; and Louisiana to experience the kidnapping and 12 years of bondage of Solomon Northup, a free man of color. Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1853, was an immediate bombshell in the national debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War.

Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost in the System and the Two Women Who Found Him

Nineteen-year-old Jovan Mosley, a good kid from one of Chicago's very bad neighborhoods, was coerced into confessing to a crime he didn't commit. Charged with murder, he spent five years and eight months in a prison for violent criminals. Without a trial. Jovan grew up on the rough streets of Chicago's Southeast Side. With one brother dead of HIV complications, another in jail for arson and murder, and most kids his age in gangs, Jovan struggled to be different. Until his arrest, he was.

A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan’s masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day. In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters, Ryan brings to life one of the most ill-fated operations of the war.

Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story

In February 2005, more than 10,000 people in Bakersfield, California, watched as Brian “Head” Welch—the former lead guitarist of the controversial rock band Korn—was saved by Jesus Christ. The event set off a media frenzy as observers from around the world sought to understand what led this rock star out of the darkness and into the light.

Grace: More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagine

Grace. We talk as though we understand the term. The bank gives us a grace period. The seedy politician falls from grace. Musicians speak of a grace note. We describe an actress as gracious, a dancer as graceful. We use the word for hospitals, baby girls, kings, and pre-meal prayers. We talk as though we know what grace means. But do we really understand it? Have we settled for wimpy grace? It politely occupies a phrase in a hymn, fits nicely on a church sign. Never causes trouble or demands a response.

The Jungle

Few books have so affected radical social changes as The Jungle, first published serially in 1906. Exposing unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry in Chicago, Sinclair's novel gripped Americans by the stomach, contributing to the passage of the first Food and Drug Act. If you’ve never read this classic novel, don't be put off by its gruesome reputation. Upton Sinclair was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who could turn even an exposé into a tender and moving novel.

Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination

For decades, government pundits have dismissed these "coincidental" deaths, even regarding them as "myths" as "urban legends." Like most people, Richard and David were initially unsure about what to make of these 'coincidences'. After all, events don't "consult the odds" prior to happening; they simply happen. Then someone comes along later and figures out what the odds of it happening were. Some of the deaths seemed purely coincidental; heart attacks, hunting accidents.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Keckley, a former slave who gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.

Saving Sammy: Curing the Boy Who Caught OCD

The summer before entering sixth grade, Sammy, a bright and charming boy who lived on the coast of Maine, suddenly began to exhibit disturbing behavior. He walked and ate with his eyes shut, refused to bathe, burst into fits of rage, slithered against walls, and used his limbs instead of his hands to touch light switches, doorknobs, and faucets.

Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson

“Buy the ticket, take the ride,” was a favorite slogan of Hunter S. Thompson, and it pretty much defined both his work and his life. Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone showcases the roller-coaster of a career at the magazine that was his literary home.

Churchill

In these 12 inspiring lectures, Professor Fears presents a well-balanced portrait of Churchill that does not whitewash his flaws. Yet he also draws on the most recent historical scholarship and material from Churchill's writings and speeches to make the case that Churchill belongs with Pericles of Athens and Abraham Lincoln as one of the greatest statesmen in the history of democracy.

The Winds of War

Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events - and all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II - as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.

Sacred Treasure - The Cairo Genizah: The Amazing Discoveries of Forgotten Jewish History in an Egyptian Synagogue Attic

Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in an old Egyptian synagogue - the amazing story of one of the most important discoveries in modern religious scholarship. In 1897, Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University stepped into the attic of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt, and there found the largest treasure trove of medieval and early manuscripts ever discovered.

The Count of Monte Cristo

On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.

Bridget Jones’s Diary

From its beginning as a weekly column in a British newspaper, Bridget Jones’s Diary quickly became a best-seller in England. After gaining international popularity, it also shot to the top of the New York Times best-seller list. A 30-something single professional, Bridget Jones prefers a diary to a day planner for tracking her life. Each entry is an honest and hilarious step in her endless quest for self-improvement.

All Souls: A Family Story from Southie

A breakaway best seller since its first printing, All Souls takes us deep into Michael Patrick MacDonald's Southie, the proudly insular neighborhood with the highest concentration of white poverty in America. Rocked by Whitey Bulger's crime schemes and busing riots, MacDonald's Southie is populated by sharply hewn characters like his Ma, a mini-skirted, accordion-playing single mother who endures the deaths of four of her eleven children.

Shantanu Sharma says:"If I could' I would've finished the book in a sing"

Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945

From one of our finest military historians comes a monumental work that shows us at once the truly global reach of World War II and its deeply personal consequences. Remarkably informed and wide-ranging, Inferno is both elegantly written and cogently argued. Above all, it is a new and essential understanding of one of the greatest and bloodiest events of the 20th century.

From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History

For most of its 5,000-year existence, China has been the largest, most populous, wealthiest, and mightiest nation on Earth. And for us as Westerners, it is essential to understand where China has been in order to anticipate its future. These 36 eye-opening lectures deliver a comprehensive political and historical overview of one of the most fascinating and complex countries in world history.You'll learn about the powerful dynasties that ruled China for centuries; the philosophical and religious foundations-particularly Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism-that have influenced every iteration of Chinese thought, and the larger-than-life personalities, from both inside and outside its borders, of those who have shaped China's history. As you listen to these lectures, you'll see how China's politics, economics, and art reflect the forces of its past.From the "Mandate of Heaven," a theory of social contract in place by 1500 B.C.E., 3,000 years before Western philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, to the development of agriculture and writing independent of outside influence to the technologically-advanced Han Dynasty during the time of the Roman Empire, this course takes you on a journey across ground that has been largely unexplored in the history courses most of us in the West have taken.In guiding you through the five millennia of China's history, Professor Hammond tells a fascinating story with an immense scope, a welcome reminder that China is no stranger to that stage and, indeed, has more often than not been the most extraordinary player on it.

The Innocents Abroad: Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period.

Gaining Ground: A Story of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, and Saving the Family Farm

One fateful day in 1996, after discovering that five freight cars' worth of glittering corn have reaped a tiny profit of $18.16, young Forrest Pritchard vows to save his family's farm. What ensues-through hilarious encounters with all manner of livestock and colorful local characters-is a crash course in sustainable agriculture. Pritchard's biggest ally is his renegade father, who initially questions his son's career choice and rejects organic foods for sugary mainstream fare.

College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students

What is the value of a college degree? The four-year college experience is as American as apple pie. So is the belief that higher education offers a ticket to a better life. But with student-loan debt surpassing the $1 trillion mark and unemployment of college graduates at historic highs, people are beginning to question that value. In College (Un)Bound, Jeffrey J. Selingo, editor at large of the Chronicle of Higher Education, argues that America’s higher education system is broken.

A Dog Named Boo: How One Dog and One Woman Rescued Each Other - And the Lives They Transformed Along the Way

The last thing Lisa Edwards needed was a new dog. But when she came across an abandoned litter on Halloween, her heart went out to the runt who walked into walls and couldn't steady his feet. Lisa - healing from past abuse and battling constant pain from a chronic medical condition - saw a bit of herself in little Boo. And when he snuggled, helpless, against her, she knew he was meant to be hers. The dunce of obedience class with poor eyesight and a clumsy gait, Boo was the least likely of heroes. Yet with his unflappable spirit and boundless love, Boo has changed countless lives through his work as a therapy dog.

The Caine Mutiny

Having inspired a classic film and Broadway play, The Caine Mutiny is Herman Wouk's boldly dramatic, brilliantly entertaining novel of life—and mutiny—on a Navy warship in the Pacific theater. It was immediately embraced upon its original publication as one of the first serious works of American fiction to grapple with the moral complexities and the human consequences of the Second World War. In the intervening half century, this gripping story has become a perennial favorite, selling millions throughout the world, and claiming the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

The American Civil War

Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.

Detroit: An American Autopsy

In the heart of America, a metropolis is quietly destroying itself. Detroit, once the richest city in the nation, is now its poorest. Once the vanguard of America’s machine age - mass production, automobiles, and blue-collar jobs - Detroit is now America’s capital for unemployment, illiteracy, foreclosure, and dropouts. With the steel-eyed reportage that has become his trademark and the righteous indignation that only a native son can possess, journalist Charlie LeDuff sets out to uncover what has brought low this once-vibrant city, his city.

Publisher's Summary

Official Movie Tie-in Audiobook for the Academy Award's Best Picture and Golden Globe's Best Drama winner.

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller.

In this riveting landmark autobiography which reads like a novel, Academy Award and Emmy winner Louis Gossett, Jr., masterfully transports us to 1840s New York, Washington, D.C., and Louisiana to experience the kidnapping and twelve years of bondage of Solomon Northup, a free man of color. Twelve Years a Slave, published in 1853, was an immediate bombshell in the national debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War. It validated Harriett Beecher Stowe’s fictional account of Southern slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which had become the best-selling American book in history a few years earlier and significantly changed public opinion in favor of abolition. Experience our official movie tie-in audiobook for the award-winning motion picture, directed by Steve McQueen and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Michael Fassbender, and Lupita Nyong'o. This audio edition with an accompanying custom map is based on the research of Dr. Sue Eakin, the nationally recognized authority on Solomon Northup who spent a lifetime authenticating his story.

Hard working Solomon Northup, an educated free man of color in 1841, enjoys family life with his wife and three children in Saratoga, New York. He delights his community with his fiddle playing and antic spirit, and has positive expectations of all he meets. When he is deceived by “circus promoters” to accompany them to a musical gig in the nation’s capital, his joyful life takes an unimaginable turn. He awakens in shackles to find he has been drugged, kidnapped and bound for the slave block in D.C.

After Solomon is shipped 1,000 miles to New Orleans, he is assigned his slave name and quickly learns that the mere utterance of his true origin or rights as a freeman are certain to bring severe punishment or death. While he endures the brutal life of a slave in Louisiana’s isolated Bayou Boeuf plantation country, he must learn how to play the system and plot his escape home.

For 12 years, his fine mind captures the reality of slavery in stunning detail, as we learn about the characters that populate plantation society and the intrigues of the bayou – from the collapse of a slave rebellion resulting in mass hangings due to traitorous slave Lew Cheney, to the tragic abuse of his friend Patsey because of Mrs. Epps’ jealousy of her husband’s sexual exploitation of his pretty young slave.

When Solomon finally finds a sympathizing friend who risks his life to secret a letter to the North, a courageous rescue attempt ensues that could either compound Solomon’s suffering, or get him back to the arms of his family.

AUTHENTICATION: Northup’s harrowing first-hand account was authenticated from decades of research by Dr. Sue Eakin, who rediscovered the original narrative as a 12-year old in 1931 and made it her life’s work.

For additional audio clips, background info and images, see our website at www.12YearsASlaveBook.com.

What the Critics Say

“I can never read his account of his days in slavery, of his independence of spirit, of his determination to be free…without believing that it would make a difference in today's world if our contemporaries knew of such a man as Solomon Northup." (Dr. John Hope Franklin, past president of the American Historical Association, best-selling author, recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom, nation's highest civilian honor)

"[T]he extraordinary narrative of Solomon Northup is the most remarkable book that was ever issued from the American press." (Detroit Tribune, original 1853 review) "Its truth is far greater than fiction." (Frederick Douglass, famous writer, former slave and abolitionist) "It will be read extensively, both at the North and the South." (New York Tribune, 1853, published by Horace Greeley)

Almost forty years ago, Dr. Sue Eakin opened for me the portal to the world of Solomon Northup, an educated free man of color kidnapped and forced into slavery for twelve years in the fields that I had seen growing up in central Louisiana. Her life's mission was to nurture and preserve his true story, and because of her dedication, I know about this remarkable man who over a hundred years ago walked many of the same places I walked ... he in bondage, me in freedom.

In 1975, Dr. Eakin's son, Frank Eakin (my classmate and today the producer of the audiobook), photographed the old plantation house where Northup toiled in the fields of its brutal owner. I was amazed to discover that it was about 5 miles from my home and that I could read all about it in my grandmother's copy of "Twelve Years A Slave." First edited by Dr. Eakin in 1968 to authenticate Northup's original narrative (published in 1853, but hard to find through the cobwebs of time), it has been preserved for eternity in the canon of slave narratives because of her lifetime's efforts. So much did Solomon Northup become woven into her life that he became like a member of the whole Eakin family, and his name is chiseled into my own lifetime of memories.

Thus began my magnificent obsession during these last four decades; I could never forget Northup. He was the subject of many of my college essays and presentations, and his experiences elicited both the delight and horror of my classmates. I've collected Dr. Eakin’s subsequent Louisiana history textbook and her histories of surrounding towns for my "Eakin library," and my family and I have cherished these treasures like priceless heirlooms.

Now imagine that Northup has a voice ... and that of none other than the inimitable Lou Gossett, Jr. A voice is worth a thousand emotions, and Mr. Gossett intones the dignity and the wit, the anger and the anguish, the joy and the sorrow of Solomon Northup. This audiobook allows you to imagine that he's sitting right next to you and telling you all about his kidnapping and the loss of his freedom (in the nation's capital city, no less) and his twelve long years in bondage. Besides being educated and born a free man, Northup was a musician who felt the rhythms in the melody of life. Mr. Gossett's dynamic voice and seamless transitions between characters and events places you in the middle of the 1800s, actually feeling it through the eyes of a slave...an extremely intelligent man with a spirit that could not be "whipped down" when he was made the scapegoat of the lesser men who "owned" him.

Yes, I've waited to "meet" Solomon Northup a long time, as a lover of history and today as a teacher. You'll want to meet him, too. You'll never forget him, and maybe some day you'll want to ride along the winding country roads that are marked as the "Northup Trail" in central Louisiana while Solomon tells you his story. He'll awaken the ghosts of another time, as well as your humanity.

I'm Frank Eakin of Eakin Films & Publishing, the producer of this audiobook. We are hopeful that AudioFile Magazine’s outstanding review of Louis Gossett, Jr.’s narration of TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE in early 2013 will be the first of many that will set the stage for a Grammy nomination: “...Gossett infuses the words with a quiet, seething power." Aside from being a world class performer with an Emmy for his role as Fiddler in ROOTS and an Oscar for OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, Lou’s passion for this story and the subject of human suffering drives his riveting performance. He has been a wonderful partner in this venture and his work comes from the heart.

The story of Solomon Northup has a long history in my family. Originally published in 1853, the autobiography was lost to history by the early twentieth century, when a 12-year old avid reader in central Louisiana – the future Dr. Sue Eakin – reached upon the library shelf of a plantation home and discovered a dusty copy of the book that would determine her life's path. She went on write her master's thesis about Solomon’s story and after decades of research, produced the first authenticated edition of the book in 1968. In 2007, at the age of 88, she completed a final definitive edition with over 100 pages of additional fascinating information, never-before-published images and unique maps related to the story that will be released as an e-book and paperback on Amazon soon. This audiobook edition comes with an accompanying copyrighted custom map developed by Dr. Eakin that tracks the story and shows the plantation tracts owned by the slave masters mentioned in the narrative.

For more info, including updates on the 2013 movie starring Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti and Michael Fassbender (directed by Steve McQueen), check out our website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed. Also see our Facebook page for Eakin Films & Publishing and the title’s Wikipedia page. Whenever you see Dr. Sue Eakin’s name associated with a book or audiobook related to Solomon’s story, that’s us – and you’ll know that you’re buying a high quality product with Dr. Eakin’s lifetime of research and dedication behind it.

The movie made such an impact on me that I purchased the audiobook. Tarantino's Django Unchained with it's slave superman gave me no emotional understanding of what it meant to be a slave in the deep south. This movie did and I wanted to listen to the book to extend that knowledge.

Then it sat for a while, because this started to feel like a homework assignment (I'm ashamed to admit). It wasn't. The book did start slowly as the mundane life of Solomon Northrup was laid out in the first thirty minutes. But that was necessary to identify our ordinary lives with Solomon's average lifestyle and therefore really "feel" his sudden revocation of freedom when it happened.

This story was able to educate, fascinate and spark my outrage towards slavery all over again. If you are like me and have already seen this movie, here are some tips for your upcoming audio adventure.

There are some scenes in the movie that were made up. You will recognize that with the noticeable omissions during your second time through this incredible story. There were some scenes that were in the movie and in the book. They will became richer with a second telling from a deeper perspective. Finally there was a lot that wasn't in the movie or glossed over in the movie. These pieces were totally absorbing as you take in the reality of slavery in the deep south all over again.

Louis Gossett Jr. is a fantastic actor but a narrator he is NOT. I almost gave up listening after finding myself re-winding numerous times because he simply "swallows" his words - all too often he mumbles like he has a mouth full of marbles. I did listen to the end but was thankful when it was over. It really surprises me that other reviewers did not comment on this. Yes it was a great story with a very relevant historical message about the inhumanity of man. I just wish it had been read by someone else.

What does Louis Gossett, Jr. bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

"Twelve Years A Slave" is a powerful narrative in and of itself, telling the story of Solomon Northup, a black man born free yet kidnapped and sold into slavery for twelve years before being rescued. The narrative provides a unique perspective on slavery, being told from the slave himself instead of an outsider looking in. Solomon's view is not sugar-coated, but neither is it harsh when it does not need to be. Louis Gossett, Jr.'s voice brings a humanness to Solomon, and in doing so brings him to life. While listening to Gossett's extraordinary delivery, one hears the emotions Solomon felt throughout the narrative - the disillusionment upon being kidnapped, the hope of one day escaping, the hopelessness of that same possibility, the realization that not all slave owners were beasts, the horror at the actions of other slave owners, just to name a few. I found that multiple times during the course of listening to Gossett reading the narrative of Solomon Northup, I would almost forget it was not Northup himself recounting his experiences. Gossett is so effective in this regard that I felt myself experiencing the emotions along with Solomon. This rare perspective offers a glimpse into slavery that many people cannot fathom. At the end, I felt I knew Solomon Northup so well that I celebrated along with him at his long overdue freedom.

This story takes you into the mind and thoughts of a slave in mid-1800s Louisiana. This book has a slightly different angle, telling the story from the perspective on a free man of color who was lured from his hometown in New York and kidnapped into slavery in Washington DC (on the mall across from the Capitol), then shipped to Louisiana. Solomon is highly intelligent and smarter than most slaves (and slave masters), and has unique talents. He describes aspects of slavery that are very seldom told. As a descendant of a slave, this is the first book I have read that answered questions that are never asked. It shed insight on why the slaves continued in slavery and did not, or could not, revolt en masse, and what they did when they just couldn't take it anymore. As an African-American, I especially appreciated the effort made by the author to enlighten future generations about the truth of 19th century Southern slavery and provide a factual view of the institution based on his actual experience, and a balanced account of individual men who populated plantation society.

What other book might you compare Twelve Years a Slave to and why?

It is hard to compare this book to any I have read, since most books about slavery tell pretty much the same story. This author really tried to capture the life and experience of this slave and shared his inner thoughts. This is was made this book exceptional.

What does Louis Gossett, Jr. bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Based on Lou Gossett's very personal performance of the slave Solomon Northup's first-person story, I'm thinking that the movie can't match what I just experienced. He makes you feel as if you are actually sitting across from him, perhaps over coffee, and he is sharing his story, sometimes engaging you in the haunting details of his captivity and the characters he encountered along his journey (some evil, some heroic), and sometimes emotionally gripping you with heart-rending moments that he conveys with perfection. You soon forget it's a performance and you live the moment with Solomon. The realism Gossett delivers helps you to visualize the people and scenes in your mind in a way that seems more powerful than a movie's visuals. I am an avid audiobook listener and this experience was unique. It's much more than a narration, it's bringing a slave from 150 years ago back to life and placing him in front of you.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, it was hard to turn off.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this audiobook to all African Americans. It gives a new insight into our ancestors life. It answers some of those questions that we don't ask.

First of all, the account of slave life in this book is remarkable. Free from the gloss of historical fiction, it just lays out the hard, cold facts. The description of daily life is beyond anything I'd ever imagined. The word "horrific" doesn't even begin to describe it. Second, there is Solomon Northup's way of dealing with life and mankind. I simply cannot imagine being dealt those cards and responding with even a tenth of his dignity. Third ... it's impossible not to admire Northup's writing ability and his wonderful vocabulary. I was charmed by him.

I am awed by the men and women who had the strength of mind to endure. And I'm grateful for the brave souls who had the conviction to deal with slavery - often in personal ways and at great risk - and to help when they could. This book had a way of really personalizing that work and making its importance so clear.

The narration fits this book perfectly. I heard Solomon Northup telling his story - exactly as it should be. It is a tough listen at times, but powerful and very real. Highly recommended.

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